Iran student groups protest recent arrests of classmates
Published: Monday, July 21, 2008
16:25GMT—12:25PM/EST
IRAN – STUDENTS – ARRESTS – PROTEST
Washington, 21 July (IranVNC)—Thirty-four university Islamic societies from across Iran today issued a joint statement protesting the recent wave of student arrests and pressures brought upon student activists.
In the statement published today on the website of Amir Kabir University of Tehran’s Student Newsletter [AUT News], the organizations strongly condemned the recent wave of student arrests in Tehran, Mashhad, Zanjan and Tabriz, and urged Iranian authorities to quickly release the detained students, who they say have tasted “the bitter taste of prison”.
The student groups also criticized the government of Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s behavior vis-à-vis student movements, noting that during the time of this government’s rule, attacks on students and violations of the sanctuary of universities was more intense than in previous years.
More than 20 student activists have been arrested in the days since the 9 July 2008 [18 Tir], anniversary of the 1999 student uprising. Among them are two leading members of the largest student organization, Tahkim Vahdat [Office for Fostering Unity].
In the statement, the students protested a range of recent incidents including: “the arrest of students participating in sit-in protests at Mazandaran University,” “the scenario of forged Amir Kabir publications”, “the arrest of members of the central council of Tahkim-e Vahdat, the arrest of students in their homes and outside the universities, the rulings of the courts and the disciplinary committees and the cancellation of permits and licenses of student publications and organizations.
The statement also directly blamed the government of Iran’s president for the “repressive actions”, which it called part of the “shortcomings of the government vis-à-vis the just demands of the university community for their rights.”
The groups warned that in the case that the students are not released; they would not hesitate to take a solidly united and necessary action to free the prisoners.
Among those students who have been detained in the recent wave of arrests are:
In Tehran: Mr. Mohammad Hashemi, Ms. Bahareh Hedayat, Mr. Majid Assadi, Mr. Soloman Sima and Mr. Mehdi Khoda’i.
In Mashhad: Mr. Mohammad Zara’ati, Mr. Farzad Hasanzadeh, Mr. Ali Qolizadeh, Mr. Ali Saberi, Mr. Reza Arab, Mr. Ashkan Arshiyan and Mr. Mojtaba Emadpur.
In Zanjan: Mr. Payam Shakiba, Mr. Arash Raiji and Mr. Hassan Joneidi.
In Tabriz: Mr. Sajjad Radmehr, Mr. Aidin Khaje’i, Mr. Faraz Zahtabi and Mr. Daryush Hatami.
Source: Amir Kabir University Student Newsletter
© IranVNC 2008. All rights reserved.